Of Bonds and Bands
by bickeringgibberish
Summary: Hanji takes pride in having an eye for every detail, Rivaille takes pride in it, too, but not in the same way as hers.


**Summary**: Hanji takes pride in having an eye for every detail, Rivaille takes pride in it, too, but not in the same way as hers.

* * *

"I give up!"

Hanji threw herself on the floor with a groan, watching the papers from the file she just chucked away float in the air, making shadows on the walls, before landing on the floor around her.

"I'm not picking that up."

"I never said you would, Rivaille." She grumbled, snatching one of the papers and holding it in front of her face. "I just can't figure this out." She frowned, "And I don't like it."

"Figure what out?" The sound of china against the wooden desk distracted her for a moment until he repeated his question. The Corporal's eyebrow quirked in a way that suggested he wanted answers immediately in order not to waste his precious time.

Sighing, Hanji waved the paper she was holding brazenly. "This. I can't figure who the hell among the scouts made this report." She sat up and turned to him with wide eyes. "Even a three year old can write better! This person has no eye for details or the picture, at all. Surely this isn't Nanaba or else I would really have the honor of feeding him head first to our captured titan. What's so hard in writing data, anyways? You just have to observe and write it down and… did he just misspell Fahrenheit?"

"What do you expect? You assign one person for a twenty-four hour shift, that scout is bound to be delirious once he reaches the wee hours of the morning, don't expect him to function like you."

"Still. You know, this could become a setback to the advancement of our knowledge regarding the titans." Hanji readjusted her eyeglasses and proceeded to recollect the scattered papers on the floor, huffing. "I swear I'm going to have a word with whoever wrote this and give him a piece of my mind."

Rivaille watched her crawl around like a dog inside the room, pawing every paper she sees and growling every time she reads a page. Momentarily, he set his own paperwork aside opting to watch the eccentric woman with amusement. Other than he was itching to help her out in clearing the floor, it was her locks that caught his attention.

Normally, Hanji Zoe's hair would be neatly tied into a ponytail early in the morning, and if you ask him what early in the morning means, it was thirty minutes after she wakes up. The rest of the day her hair is a wild mess, locks of auburn hair escaping the band on top of her hair making her tuck those strays every now and then, if ever she has time, which normally never happens because she is busy running about, obsessing about her experiments. However, what caught his attention now was not her messy ponytail, it was the band, slipping down her locks, barely keeping her hair in place.

He blinked once, mesmerized at the sight of Hanji Zoe, the Hanji Zoe he never considered as a woman, with her brusque way of dealing with people, the boisterous guffaws echoing in the hallways, her indifference to the opposite sex and nonchalance to innuendos from several colleagues and scouts (if there ever was), Hanji Zoe was somebody he was used being around with, just like Irvin Smith, with actually no regard for her sexual disposition at all.

But now, in the light of the dying flame of their gas lamp, with her hair loose, cascading down her shoulders as she reads another paper on the floor near him, Rivaille realized that another side of Hanji Zoe exists.

"Would you look at that, Rivaille? This kid has some brains after all!" She was giggling excitedly, scanning the page with wide eyes. "He actually got something important written in here, oh, I can't wait to show this to Irvin!"

She was about to get up from the floor when he thought of it. This was a different Hanji, not the usual eccentric one glomping any scout who's interested in her work, this is a Hanji no one has ever seen or thought of and he can't show this side of her to anyone.

Reaching for the discarded band on the floor, he knelt behind her and laid his hand on her head. His action caused her to freeze before she spoke. "Eh? What is it, Rivaille?"

"Your hair," Why was his voice raspy? He cleared his throat. "Let me fix it for you."

"Eh?" She reached out her right hand, and her palm, warm and soft, brushed against the back of his hand. "Oh, I hadn't realized it. Sure, you can fix it for me. But hurry up, I have to show this to Irvin, pronto."

"Yeah." Gently, he combed through her hair, taking note of how soft it felt between his fingers, completely different from his first impression, until he reached the tips and fumbled. "Don't you ever comb?"

"No time."

A moment later he heard her laugh. "What is it?" She ignored him and laughed more.

"What's so funny?"

"It's just that…"

"Don't move."

"Okay, okay. I just find it amazing, I mean, you're tying my hair when you're a boy and I'm a girl."

"Your point?"

"Life really throws some surprises. Sometimes, what you expect is far from what you'll have. What you see is only a shadow of reality. What you know is different from what's real. At least, that's what I think I mean."

He twisted the band and pulled her hair into the loop effortlessly. "Say…"

"What?" He grumbled.

"Do you also fix Petra's hair in the morning, Rivaille?"

"Unlike you," He scoffed, "Petra can take care of herself on her own, Hanji."

"Good. Because it would be weird for you to do it to someone else, you know," she added quickly, "I mean, the Corporal tying Petra's hair? What would you do next, tuck Auruo in his bed?"

"Very funny."

"I'm glad I'm the only one who sees this side of you. Even if it's only for now." She said it so softly, he knew if he hadn't strained his ears he would've missed it. What she meant he didn't know, he didn't want to know.

Making sure that he tied her hair properly, he patted her head with a strange feeling of awkwardness and confusion. "You can go now. I know you're dying to share your information."

"Of course, it's another score for mankind, you know? You wouldn't understand."

"Of course I do."

"Right. I'll go now. I'll see you later."

"Yeah."

She was near the door when he found his voice and spoke, he didn't know what pushed him to do so, but before he could even think, the words left his mouth, "You know, I'd only do it for you."

She paused briefly, hand on the knob, thinking deeply of what he was referring to before she turned to him with a smile, "Yeah, we wouldn't want to let others know that the Corporal has this girly side in him, would we?" She teased. She took in a deep breath and tucked an invisible strand of hair behind her ear. "Thank you, Rivaille. I do appreciate it. Don't stay up too late, those papers can wait! It would really be a problem if you get sick."

"Yeah, you too."

He watched the door close and the shadows dancing on the wall opposite him, thinking of the days that would follow and the secret they were both to keep, and for the first time in his life, he looked forward for a new tomorrow.

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**Author's Note:** Okay, I just can't get enough of them, I tell you. Thank you for those who read my first LeviHan story (Beyond Borders), who put my story in their favorite and follow list, and those who left reviews. I really appreciate it. So what do you think? I hope you enjoyed!

BG


End file.
